The 1992 Memorial Cup occurred May 9–17 at the Coliseum in Seattle. It was the 74th annual Memorial Cup competition and determined the major junior ice hockey champion of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). Participating teams were the Western Hockey League host Seattle Thunderbirds, as well as the winners of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Western Hockey League and Ontario Hockey League which were the Verdun Collège Français, Kamloops Blazers and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. Kamloops won their first Memorial Cup in dramatic fashion, defeating Sault Ste. Marie in the final game on Zac Boyer's game-winning goal with 14 seconds remaining in regulation time.
Teams
Kamloops Blazers
The Kamloops Blazers represented the Western Hockey League at the 1992 Memorial Cup. During the 1991–92 season, the Blazers played to a league-best record of 51-17-4, earning 106 points and winning the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy as the regular season champions. The Blazers scored 351 goals during the regular season, the third highest total in the WHL, while allowing a league low 226 goals. In the post-season, the Blazers faced the Tacoma Rockets in the West Division quarter-finals, and easily won the series in a four game sweep. Kamloops earned a bye in the West Division semi-finals, advancing straight to the West Division finals. In the division finals, the Blazers defeated the Seattle Thunderbirds four games to two to advance to the WHL Championship. In the President's Cup finals against the Saskatoon Blades, the Blazers narrowly defeated the Blades four games to three to capture the title and a berth into the 1992 Memorial Cup.
The Blazers were led offensively by Zac Boyer, who scored 40 goals and 109 points in 70 games, finishing seventh in the WHL scoring race. Boyer continued his strong offensive play in the post-season, earning a team high 29 points in 17 games. Craig Lyons led the goal with 44 goals, and had 95 points in 65 games. Shayne Green scored 43 goals and earned 98 points in 71 games, and tied with Mike Mathers and Jarrett Deuling for the team lead in playoff goals with 10. On defense, the Blazers got a big boost when Darryl Sydor was returned to the club after beginning the season with the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL. In only 29 games, Sydor led the defense with nine goals and 48 points. Scott Niedermayer, who also began the season in the NHL with the New Jersey Devils, scored seven goals and 39 points in 37 games. In the post-season, Niedermayer scored nine goals and 23 points in 17 games. Corey Hirsch was the starting goaltender on the Blazers, and in 48 games, he earned a record of 35-10-2 with a 2.72 GAA and a .920 save percentage. Hirsch was awarded the Del Wilson Trophy, which is awarded to the Top Goaltender in the WHL.
The 1992 Memorial Cup was the Blazers fourth appearance in team history. In the 1984 Memorial Cup, the Kamloops Jr. Oilers finished in third place at the tournament. At the 1986 Memorial Cup, the Blazers once again finished in third place. At the 1990 Memorial Cup, Kamloops struggled to a fourth place finish.
Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds represented the Ontario Hockey League at the 1992 Memorial Cup. This was the Greyhounds second consecutive appearance at the tournament, as the club won the J. Ross Robertson Cup in 1991. During the 1991–92 season, the Greyhounds finished in first place in the Emms Division with a 41-19-6 record, earning 88 points. The Greyhounds scored 335 goals, the highest total in the OHL. The team also allowed the fewest goals in the league, with 229 goals against. Sault Ste. Marie earned a bye in the Emms Division quarter-finals due to finishing in first place. In the Emms Division semi-finals, the Greyhounds narrowly defeated the Kitchener Rangers four games to three. In the Emms Division finals, Sault Ste. Marie defeated the Niagara Falls Thunder four games to one. In the J. Ross Robertson Cup finals, the Greyhounds faced the North Bay Centennials. Sault Ste. Marie defeated North Bay four games to three to capture the OHL championship and a berth into the 1992 Memorial Cup.